By Bracey Harris 

Becoming a teacher in Mississippi usually starts with a solid GPA going into one’s sophomore year of college and either a score of 21 on the ACT or a passing score on the Praxis Core teacher exam. Teacher candidates who can’t meet those requirements can’t enroll in the state’s schools of education.
 
In the past, this bar has been too high for many would-be teachers, especially those who come from high-need areas. And, as is the case nationwide, enrollment in the state’s schools of education has declined, despite shortages.
 
College students who graduated from low-performing high schools and adults working as long-term substitutes or teacher aides often struggle to pass the Praxis tests, even after multiple attempts. It’s a frustrating dilemma for high-poverty, rural districts desperate for trained teachers who will commit to staying for the long term, but who can’t get local talent past the front door.
 
Now, the district’s predicament has disappeared, at least temporarily: Because of the coronavirus, the state removed the testing requirements for teacher candidates until December 31, 2021. (Minimum GPA requirements still stand.) The waiver would allow more would-be educators to enter and move through the state’s teacher pipeline. It could also give added muscle to local efforts already underway in rural districts to recruit community residents to the classroom.
 
Adrienne Hudson, with the Delta-based nonprofit RISE, works with many Delta educators who are already in the classroom but haven’t gained admission to a teacher prep program to receive a standard 5-year license. Sometimes Mississippi gives these teachers a temporary license, allowing them time to meet requirements for certification. But those who can’t meet the standards to enter an education program before the license expires often continue in the classroom, despite their lack of attendance at a formal teacher training program, while receiving lower pay than their certified colleagues. If they can find better wages elsewhere, they often exit the classroom, leaving districts to start from square one.
 
As an example, Hudson cited a lower elementary school in the Delta where none of the K-3 teachers are certified to teach. “You can’t convince me that not having a teacher is better than having a teacher who is committed and passionate, and willing to learn on a long-term basis, just because they couldn’t pass a test,” Hudson said. “Being a teacher is a test.”
 
But at least one group is concerned the waiver could lower standards. Kate Walsh, president of the National Council on Teacher Quality, which pushes for toughening licensure standards, expressed disappointment with the move. An NCTQ review of state responses found that several state education departments are opting to give teachers an extra year to meet licensing requirements to account for disruptions from coronavirus. As of mid-April, Mississippi stood out as an exception among states that had taken action thus far, having fully suspended testing requirements, although the New York State Department of Education also announced it would waive testing requirements if testing sites remained closed beyond May 1.
 
Mississippi’s waiver is poised to make substantial waves. In the two months, since the state announced the change, undergraduate enrollment in Jackson State University’s teacher program has doubled.
 
Roosevelt Shelton, the interim dean of the College of Education and Human Development at Jackson State, said undergrads aren’t the only ones benefitting from the change. Older millennials are taking up the opportunity, too.
 
Graduates of the historically black university who didn’t qualify for the teaching program before are signing up for its post-graduate alternate-route program, which provides teacher training to individuals who don’t already have an undergraduate degree in education. Until recently, Jackson State’s Master of Arts in Teaching program had the same testing requirements as the university’s traditional route. Now, the university’s alternate-route summer cohort has quadrupled as graduates who ended up working in careers ranging from law enforcement to retail return to education.
 
“It attests to their commitment and initial desire to be teachers,” Shelton said. “This waiver has had a significant impact on the ability of those students to come back.”
 

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